Renowned playwright Latif Abubakar closed the curtain on his latest play, '5 Hours with Mario' held at the Accra International Conference Centre over the weekend.

The play was staged twice each day on the 3rd and 4th of September respectively.

The hour long monologue was led by award-winning actress, Naa Ashorkor.

The play tells the story of Dzidzor, who after the death of her husband, Mario, watches over his body and sheds light on their respective personalities and their conflicts throughout their marriage.

The play, produced by Latif Abubakar, was directed by Jojo Tetteh-Quantson, with support from Solomon Fixon Owoo.

The event was graced by some dignitaries like politician and Director General of the National Lottery Authority, Sammi Awuku, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey.

Some sponsors of the event, Ahiadome Transport & Company Limited, and Ghana Link Network Services Limited were also in attendance, represented by their respective CEOs, Mr. J.K. Ahiadome, and Mr. Nick Danso Adjei.

In light of strengthening the bond between Ghana and Europe through arts, some ambassadors were invited to watch the play.

Spanish Ambassador to Ghana (Javier Gutiérrez), Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, (Mrs. Ozlem Ergün Uluesen), Italian Ambassador, (Daniela d’Olandi), the EU Ambassador to Ghana, (Irchad Razaaly), and the Ambassador of the State of Israel (Shlomit Sufa) were at the event.

U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer, was also present at the event.

How the Embassy of Spain and Globe Productions partnership came about

Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Javier Gutiérrez, after enjoying one of Latif Abubakarʼs flagship plays, Something Must Kill a Man, expressed interest in partnering with the playwright to augment theatre in Ghana to the rest of the world.

Through that, a collaboration between the Embassy of Spain and Globe Productions was established – birthing the Ghanaian adaptation of Spanish writer Miguel Delibesʼs book, Five Hours with Mario, by Latif Abubakar.

Speaking at the launch of the play at the Embassy of Spain in Accra a fortnight ago, Latif Abubakar stated that the partnership with the Embassy of Spain will deepen the Spain-Ghana relationship beyond traditional trade to arts and culture.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy, Mr. Diego Spottorno said the Spanish Embassy was pleased to partner with Latif Abubakar on this project.

He explained that the timing for this adaptation could not have been more appropriate, considering the challenges faced by the world today.

He said the adaptation of the play would mark the beginning of a great partnership between the Ghanaian and Spanish theatre industries.